Hundreds of lives were saved at JFK Airport when two planes narrowly avoided a collision on the runway thanks to a new sophisticated radar system available at only a few airports nationwide.
The near miss between an American Airlines Boeing 777 and a Delta Boeing 737 came just a week after the American union complained about new pre-flight protocols that had caused delays as pilots went through procedures.
The departing Delta plane then came to a safe stop on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport as the American Airlines jet crossed in front of it around 8:45 p.m. Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
The collision was avoided thanks to a sophisticated radar system on the ground at JFK airport, the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X. The system collects data from censors to warn the tower of potential collisions.
Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about new cockpit protocols being enforced by the airline without proper training. These procedures may become part of the FAA and TSA investigation into the incident.
Last week, the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, raised concerns about new cockpit protocols being enforced by the airline
The new controls have been in effect since Tuesday 11 January. According to the union, the procedures deal with communication in the cockpit during critical events such as landings with poor visibility.
“The operational changes that management is trying to implement without extensive training are transforming how pilots communicate, coordinate and execute flight safety duties during some of the most dangerous times of flight,” the Allied Pilots Association (APA) said in a post last Monday.
The changes were imposed via a bulletin, according to the union. “This attempt to train by bulletin while ignoring serious safety concerns and established best practices risks dramatically eroding safety margins,” it added.
American said in an emailed statement to Portal: “These changes represent industry best practice and ensure improved crew coordination and consistency across fleet types, allowing our pilots to easily switch between different aircraft should they choose to do so .”
“These updates have been ongoing since 2021 and were a coordinated effort with the APA’s training committee,” the airline said, adding that the approach to pilot familiarization has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The Delta flight was preparing for takeoff when it was forced to hit the brakes and stop just 1,000 feet from a possible fatal collision.
An American Airlines plane was seen crossing the path of a Delta plane as it was about to take off. Air traffic control called ‘s***!’ when they noticed the possible collision
It appears the unnamed American Airlines pilot got lost and appeared right in front of the accelerating Delta plane.
But the whole time, the Delta pilot appeared calm and collected, even calmly telling air traffic control he just had to go back to the gate and “make a few calls.”
FTA recordings show the moments immediately before and after the possible crash at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport around 8:45 p.m. Friday.
It begins with the American Airlines pilot saying the flight is ready to taxi onto a runway that an air traffic controller tells them to take runway 4 to the left and “stop just short of Kilo.”
The pilot repeated the message just before another air traffic controller instructed her to continue the route and “cross runway 31 on the left at Kilo”.
She replies that she is “crossing 31 on the left at Kilo” but is approaching the wrong lane and going straight instead of turning left.
A moment later, air traffic control cleared the Delta flight bound for the Dominican Republic to take off.
The pilot acknowledges the message with the words: ‘Cleared for takeoff, runway 4 left, Delta 1943.’
But as it sped down the runway at 115 mph, an air traffic controller noticed that the Delta flight was about to meet the American Airlines flight.
‘Saw! Damn it, a controller was heard saying.
The Delta flight finally took off the next morning for Santa Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic, while the American Airlines flight arrived at London Heathrow on time on Saturday morning (file images).
At this point, another air traffic controller comes on the radio and urges, “America 106 Heavy, America 106 Heavy, Heavy Hold Position…American 106 Heavy Hold Position.”
A third air traffic controller meanwhile informs the Delta pilot: “Delta 1943 cancels takeoff clearance! Delta 1943 cancels takeoff clearance.’
The pilot replies that he “declines” when an air traffic controller asks about his intentions.
“Yes, we have to go somewhere, do some checklists and probably make some phone calls for Delta 1943,” the pilot says calmly.
An air traffic controller says the plane could “roll right onto Bravo and stop just short of Hotel Bravo” – which the pilot repeated again.
But another air traffic controller ten asks: ‘Delta 1943, did you make the switch?’
“Yes sir, we have,” replies the pilot.
“Okay, I assume it’s you [going to] Do you want to move, don’t you?’
“Uh, well, um, we’ve got some phone calls to make here and I’m guessing we’re flying back to a gate,” says the pilot, apparently shrugging as he noticed the near miss.
The air traffic controller agrees with his assessment and says: “Okay, I thought so too.”
He then turned his attention back to the American Airlines rogue flight, saying there was a “possible pilot deviation” and “I have a number for you.
The pilot replies that she is willing to write down the phone number, while what appears to be a co-pilot asks, “The last clearance we received was cleared for us to cross, is that correct?”
The controller replies, “I suppose we’ll listen to the tapes, but you should depart 4L. They’re stopping just short of runway 31L.’
Brian Healy, a passenger on the Delta flight, said he initially thought the abrupt stop was a mechanical problem.
“There was this sudden lurch of the plane and everyone kind of got pushed forward from the hip,” he recalled. “There was an audible reaction when the brakes hit, like a gasp. And then there was absolute silence for a few seconds.’
Healy went on to say that the Delta pilot made the right decision by not telling passengers exactly what happened.
“The pilot made the call to share information on a need-to-know basis only, and that was absolutely the right call because it would have been a mess,” he said.
John Cox, a retired pilot and professor of flight safety at the University of Southern California, said he thinks the air traffic controller made “a good call to deny the takeoff.”
He said the rejected takeoff safety maneuver, in which pilots stop the plane and abort takeoff, was one they were “very, very familiar with.”
“Pilots practice rejected starts almost every time they get to the simulator,” he said.
The plane returned to the gate, where the 145 passengers departed and were given overnight accommodation, a Delta spokesman said. The flight to Santa Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic took off on Saturday morning.
“Delta will be working with aviation authorities to assist with a full review of Flight 1943 on January 13 for a successful aborted takeoff at New York-JFK. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travels,” a Delta spokesman said in a statement.